The Role of Cultural Diversity in

the Management of Road

Safety
6th Global Interactive Forum on Traffic and Safety
(GIFTS), Tokyo, 26-27 November, 2020

Dr Soames Job Kazuyuki Neki

Global Lead Road Safety, World Bank Junior Professional Officer
Head of The Global Road Safety The Global Road Safety Facility, World
Facility Bank
sjob@worldbank.org kneki@worldbank.org
 Overview of presentation
(leading to 4 conclusions) 2
 Culture, race, politics, location, climate,
economy: complex inter-relationships (not easily
separated)
 Cultural differences in Road User Behavior are
common
 However: many underlying causes
 Including: Management of Road Safety
 Culture influences the Management of Road
Safety, which influence behavior
 Examples of variations….across road safety pillars
 Personality versus Situation 3

 Human behaviour:

is more determined by:

Situation than personality

Road Safety Management determines the

road situation
 Culture and Behavior

Central America: Latin America ……

Bull-fighting traffic

Middle East:
N. Africa: No Seat-belts No Helmet plus risk
 Cultural Variations between and
5
within Nations
 Cultures vary within, as well as between, countries
 These influence Road Safety
 Race
 Indigenous people (Aborigines) within Australia have a higher crash
death rate versus rest of the population
 Same in New Zealand (Maori people), and elsewhere
 Religion
 E.g., head-dress which prevent motorcycle helmet use
 Rural versus metropolitan (cultural differences are often growing)
 Rural people: commonly many times the crash death rate
 Rural people/rural roads: less compliance with the law (BUT....less
enforcement, higher speeds, slower emergency response)
Many causes: more rural, less wealth (well established factor influencing
safety of vehicles, quality of education, safety of local roads,
enforcement & compliance with laws)
Who manages Road Safety:
6
Police Forces as a guide
Culturally and historically determined outcomes
 United States: Over 18,000 police forces (State, county Police,
county sheriffs, municipal police, …..
 Brazil: Over 5,000: federal, state, local/municipal. Some, not all, do
road safety enforcement.
 Some countries- just national Police
 Australia: managed at State/territory level, with just 8
state/territory police forces.
Road crash Deaths & Economy
(Dahdah & Bose, 2013) 7
 Road Crash Deaths & Economy:
Huge variations not explained by economy 8
 Cultural Impacts on Road
9
Safety Management
Facilitates Strong Retards Strong
Management Management
1. High societal value on human 1. Individual freedom is prioritized
life
2. Common-sense style argument is
2. Strong scientific evidence powerful
background
3. Significant public corruption
3. Prevention is supported
4. Government management of road
4. Societal responsibility is valued safety is fragmented
5. Governments and law 5. Private sector responsibility is low
enforcement are credible
6. Private sector profit is valued
6. High level of education
7. Fatalistic beliefs
7. Well regulated public transport
Management
Influence
through
Behavior
 Large Variations in Management
Policy even within Income groups 11

Income Country National Seatbelt Law Coverage

level (Front and Rear Seat occupants)
High Japan Front and Rear
High Antigua and No
Barbuda
High United States Varies by state (in some, not rear seats, and not
a primary offence)
Middle Ecuador Front and Rear
Middle Bangladesh No
Middle Lao PDR Front only
Low Uganda Front and Rear
Low Afghanistan No

Low Nepal Front only (Source: World Bank 2019, WHO 2018)
 Random Breath testing
12
for Alcohol
Powerfully effective….
Due to differences in legal/cultures:
 Adopted in Australia, New Zealand,
 Legal but can be refused in Brazil
 Illegal (‘unreasonable Search’) in
United States
Management
Influence
through
Speed
 People forced to
install their own
South America speeds humps

East Africa
Culture and Speed Management
15
Speed cameras may be:
 Banned as illegal (Privacy issues,
……..)
 Impossible to employ due to poor
vehicle registration and
identification (See GRSF Guide on
Camera Readiness)
 Allowed but not to photograph
driver or passengers (Privacy issues)
 Allowed and able to photograph
driver and passengers
 Allowed but with warning signs
versus not
But ……
warning signs
 Large Variations in Management
Policy even within Income groups 17
Incom Country Default Difference Default Difference
e level Urban Limit within Rural within
(kph) Income Gp Speed Limit Income Gp
High Japan 60 60
High United 32 to 128 32 to 128
States
High France 50 78 90 68
Middle Ecuador 60 120
Middle Banglades 112 112
h
Middle Lao PDR 40 72 90 30
Low Afghanista 90 90
n
Low Liberia 40 56
Low Uganda 50 50 100 44
Management
Influence
through
Vehicles
School Buses
19

South-East Asia

United States
 That is if children even go to
20
school:
Child labor is common in many countries

West Africa
 Public Transport

Sub-Saharan Africa West Africa

South East Asia Australia
Management
Influence
through
Road
Infrastructure
Roads
Australia
23

South Asia

Japan New Zealand

Bus stops
24

South East Asia

United States

West Africa
 Footpaths
25

Highway Southern Sahara

Central Asia

Australia North Africa

Management
Influence
through
Post-Crash
Care
Ambulance 27

Equipment

What we might
expect/hope

What we get in
Sub-Saharan
Africa
I promised 4 core messages 28
1. Cultural differences within countries matter in road
safety (there is a growing neglect of the rural road
safety problem)

2. Cultural differences are not restricted to on-road

behaviors

3. Culture (not just economy) deeply influence road

safety management

4. Road safety management influences on-road

behavior.
Thank you for your attention

Soames Job & Kazu Neki